Who plays three at the back?
Share of line-ups set out with three defenders — the shape that has grown faster than any other in the archive.
Serie A (Italy) commits hardest: 45.4% of its line-ups start with three defenders.
| League | Three at the back | Line-ups |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Serie A Italy | 45.4% | 7,796 |
| 2. Serie B Italy | 41.2% | 8,160 |
| 3. Bundesliga Germany | 40.1% | 5,678 |
| 4. Jupiler Pro League Belgium | 36.1% | 5,481 |
| 5. J1 League Japan | 34.8% | 5,830 |
| 6. Premiership Scotland | 32% | 3,900 |
| 7. Bundesliga Austria | 31.8% | 3,968 |
| 8. FA Cup England | 31.5% | 2,034 |
| 9. K League 1 South Korea | 30.4% | 3,028 |
| 10. DFB Pokal Germany | 29.2% | 1,157 |
| 11. 2. Bundesliga Germany | 28.4% | 6,318 |
| 12. Championship England | 27.1% | 11,410 |
| 13. Ekstraklasa Poland | 26.8% | 4,900 |
| 14. Allsvenskan Sweden | 25.7% | 5,041 |
| 15. Superliga Denmark | 25.6% | 4,165 |
| 16. HNL Croatia | 24.9% | 2,398 |
| 17. UEFA Nations League International | 23.7% | 1,499 |
| 18. Premier League Russia | 23% | 5,000 |
| 19. Super League Switzerland | 22.9% | 3,988 |
| 20. Ligue 1 France | 22.3% | 7,118 |
Showing the major competitions. Include every competition
Any formation whose first line is a three. The provider records a formation for roughly a quarter of line-ups, so a league appears only once enough of its matches carry one.